Gen. Dennis Via, Commanding General for Army Materiel
Command based at Redstone Arsenal, is one of four high-ranking military
personnel featured on this month's cover of U.S. Black Engineer magazine.

Via shares the cover with African American four-star
generals Gen. Lloyd Austin, Commander of U.S. Central Command and Gen. Vincent
Brooks, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific. They are joined by Gen.
Raymond Odierno, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

Features on Via, Austin and Brooks are included in the
magazine, as well as a stand-alone piece on Odierno.

"When it comes to top-ranking African Americans in the U.S.
Army these are the best of times," the magazines notes. "The service boasts
three four-star generals, the highest number in Army history marking another
proud milestone for an institution long hailed as an exemplar of diversity."

There's still a long way to go to achieving full
diversity, the article said.

"The worry is there are not enough minority officers in the
pipeline to follow in the footsteps of the black four-star generals. Overall,
12 percent of commissioned active-duty Army officers are African American and another
5 percent Hispanic. Meanwhile, more than one in five enlisted soldiers are
black and 13 percent are Hispanic."

Via, whose command has a $50 billion budget and is staffed by
70,000 soldiers and civilians, told the magazine the Army offers endless
opportunities for a variety of careers.

"There is just an enormity of opportunity for anyone who is
involved in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) career," he
said.

The issue also includes a listing of the top African
Americans in the military. Major Gen.
Darrell Williams, Deputy Chief of Staff at U.S. Army Materiel Command, and
Huntsville Native Rear Admiral Charles Carodine, Director of Navy Business
Operations Office, are included on that list along with Via.

Montgomery native Robert Moore, Deputy to the Commanding
General at U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, was named to the list of Top
African American members of the Senior Executive Service.